USA Dot Com is a blog covering politics and government from a conservative Christian perspective. Verne Strickland is a 50-year veteran of investigative journalism. This blog offers a take-no-prisoners style with a modicum of biting satire. Verne and his wife of 55 years, Durrene, live in Wilmington, NC.

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Mike McIntyre
refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed
in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote
Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

*Note: This
percentage is calculated based on the number of issue areas addressed by
the candidate on the Political Courage Test at the conclusion of the
testing period. It does not indicate support or lack of support by
Project Vote Smart.

Issue Positions

In response to the increasing
unwillingness of candidates to answer issue questions, Project Vote
Smart has researched Presidential and Congressional candidates' public
records to determine candidates' likely responses on certain key issues.
These are provided below as a courtesy to voters.

Pro-life

Abortion: Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?

Yes

Afghanistan: Do you support United States' combat operations in Afghanistan?

No

Budget: In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?

No

Budget: In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?

Yes

Economy: Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?

Yes

Economy: Do you support providing tax incentives to businesses for the purpose of job creation?

Unknown Position

Education: Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms in order to be eligible for competitive federal grants?

Yes

Energy: Do you support reducing restrictions on offshore energy production?

Unknown Position

Environment: Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?

No

Guns: Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?

Yes

Health Care: Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act?

Yes

Immigration: Do you support requiring illegal immigrants to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?

No

Marriage: Do you support same-sex marriage?

Unknown Position

National Security: Do you support targeting suspected terrorists outside of official theaters of conflict?

No

Social Security: Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?

Key

Official Position: Candidate had the Political Courage to address this issue directly.

Inferred Position:
Candidate refused to address this issue directly, but Project Vote
Smart inferred this issue position based on the candidate's public
statements, voting record, and evaluations from special interest groups.

Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue.

Project Vote Smart's Research: Click on this icon to reveal more information about this candidate's position.